Friday's verdict against Johnson & Johnson, in Chicago's Cook County Circuit Court, is the first for a mesothelioma victim since two failed talc bankruptcies last year—and a groundbreaking win for Dallas-based Dean Omar Branham Shirley.

The Federal Trade Commission is scheduled to vote Tuesday on its rule that would prohibit noncompetes. The FTC said it would sue as early as Wednesday.

This suit was surfaced by Law.com Radar, ALM's source for immediate alerting on just filed cases in state and federal courts. Law.com Radar now offers state court coverage nationwide. Sign up today and be first to know about new suits in your region, practice area or client sector.

"There's a lot at stake [for Houston Hospitals," said lead counsel Jason Bring of Arnall Golden Gregory. "The freestanding emergency department is proposed to go almost directly between two existing hospitals, within seven or eight miles. As you might expect, that will draw patients away from our hospitals and the impact on them will be 10% [of their patients and revenue] at minimum, but likely in excess of that.

Holland & Knight and Hogan Lovells also grew their Q1 lobbying revenue.

"To deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps, I am announcing that all classes will be held virtually on Monday," NYU President Minouche Shafik wrote in a letter to the Columbia community Monday, adding that faculty and staff could also work remotely.

The U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether a party "must obtain a ruling that conclusively decides the merits in its favor," rather than just a preliminary injunction, to obtain attorney fees in a civil rights suit.

"There are times you have to say, 'You can't do this.' But that can't be every time," said Theresa Shea, general counsel of Utz Brands.

Both law firms have continued to add, and lose, partners in the lead-up to the merger.

Quinn Emanuel litigator Alex Spiro, representing Elon Musk, argued opposing counsel Mark Bankston of Farrar & Ball violated the discovery order numerous times by posting questions outside the scope of the court order.

Six of the nine Chicago-founded Am Law 100 law firms had lower revenue growth than the 100 as a whole. But most Chicago firms maintained their spots or moved up in the latest rankings

"This was a planned, coordinated, long-running conspiracy to help Donald Trump get elected through illegal expenditures using doctored corporate records," ADA Matthew Colangelo told the packed courtroom during opening statements. "It was election fraud, pure and simple."

"We may find in the courts that the battle is playing out more than we have seen in the past because, obviously, this is a new demand on universities and how they approach that may differ. That is always fodder for litigation, and for good reason," said Cori M. Smith, an associate and member of Reed Smith's higher education team.

Two years after the U.S. Department of Justice failed to block a $315 million merger between United States Sugar Corp. and Imperial Sugar Co., antitrust lawyers have lodged nearly two dozen class actions at the sugar industry.

"The advice I would give is to make sure you want a leadership role for the right reasons. If you want it just for the title, firm leadership should not be your goal. Leadership requires a firm first mentality and a lot of time and effort outside of your practice."

Last week, Legal Speak spoke live on location at the General Counsel Conference Midwest 2024 in Chicago with professionals across the legal industry about key insights and practical solutions that today's general counsel need to manage and better leverage C-Suite relationships, successfully overcome a litigation crisis, do more with fewer resources, and more.

Last week, Legal Speak spoke live on location at the General Counsel Conference Midwest 2024 in Chicago with professionals across the legal industry about key insights and practical solutions that today's general counsel need to manage and better leverage C-Suite relationships, successfully overcome a litigation crisis, do more with fewer resources, and more.

Despite the hiring slowdown, firms such as Foley & Lardner, King & Spalding, Cooley and Morgan Lewis have added D.C. partners in recent days.

"It struck me that we had a pool of talent within our firm who aspired to transition in-house, but they didn't feel comfortable seeking support from us," Husch Blackwell Chair Joe Glynias said.

Another fundamental threat to tech is emerging as well on both sides of the Atlantic: regulation as a common carrier.